DeeDee Dawn Montgomery Cooley Boley, age 58, of Milton, Georgia, died on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2024, after a brief battle with an aggressive form of cancer. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, DeeDee graduated from David Lipscomb High School. She was crowned Miss War Eagle at Auburn University (1984-85) in Auburn, Alabama, where she was a member of Phi Mu Fraternity and formed lifelong friendships with close sorority sisters, who cite her quick wit, contagious laugh, and sense of adventure at the heart of their college memories. She graduated with a degree in business and French minor. Having grown up in a family with a legacy in the Nashville music scene, DeeDee performed with country bands for several years and often sang solos at church. A devoted fan of Dolly Parton, DeeDee's angelic voice and sweet, gentle spirit sparkled and uplifted like her idol's. Even the way she greeted people was musical.
A hard-worker, DeeDee had a solid partnership with her first husband Mark, and they supported each other's dreams whether opening Cooley's Café near the Fox Theater in Atlanta or her burgeoning singing career. When son Dillon was born, she poured her heart and soul into parenting, a role she cherished all the more as the Cooley family expanded with sons, Chase and Declan. DeeDee kept an open heart and an open home, which became a gathering place. Kind, spiritual and intuitive, she was thoughtful, observant, and elevated everything she touched. She lived out the adage: Actions speak louder than words.
A loving wife and mother, DeeDee relished spending every spare moment with family, and thrived on hosting large family gatherings and especially loved holidays. A prankster, at Halloween she put out decorations that would surprise tricker-or-treaters. She brought an artist's touch to everything she did whether it was preparing a holiday meal or designing an interior for a house she was flipping with her husband. Known by the nickname Speedy DeeDee as a child, she kept up that high energy and was always on the go. A lover of travel and adventure, she rode horses, deep-sea fished, water skied, hiked, zip-lined, snorkeled, and explored. After Mark passed of leukemia in 2016, she was single-minded on caring for her sons and managing their multiple real estate interests and family business. Mark and DeeDee's bond—who met as part of the 1987 wedding party of his high school best friend Warren Jolly and DeeDee's best friend/Phi Mu sister Kim—had been so strong that she waved off any suggestion that she might date again.
Then came Sam Boley, who took her out for their first date on her birthday in May 2020. He came streaking into her life like a comet, burning bright. They shared a love of gourmet restaurants, cooking, music, dancing, and the beaches of 30-A. Avid college sports fans of their respective teams, Auburn (hers) and University of Texas and Kentucky (his), they cheered wildly whether at home or in person. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October of that year, Sam's love never wavered. His response was to propose over the holidays after he sought approval from her three sons, her sister Echo, and brother-in-law Kevin. On April 24, 2021, Sam and DeeDee married. By September of 2022, she had beaten breast cancer. A woman of deep faith, DeeDee was blessed with three strong, smart, and kind sons, who will carry on their parents' legacy, and she was blessed with the rare gift of finding a great love twice.
Survivors include mother Carol Montgomery of Woodstock, GA; DeeDee's husband, Sam Boley, and her sons, Dillon, Chase and Declan Cooley; her stepdaughter, Hayleigh Boley of Richmond, KY; sister and brother-in-law, Echo and Kevin Garrett of Marietta, GA; nephews Caleb Garrett of Missoula, MT, and Connor Garrett and his wife Kristel and children Gracy and Matheo of Marietta, GA; nephew Reed Hollis of Fresno, CA; sister-in-law and brother Lee and Kevin Montgomery and nephew Beau Montgomery of Winkfield, England; and sister-in-law and half-brother Gerilyn and John Bates of Lehigh Acres, FL.; mother-in-law Barbara Cooley and sister-in-law Darlene Hollis of Dahlonega, GA; sister-in-law and brother-in-law Toni and Aaron Hollis, South Daytona, FL; and a host of extended family in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oregon. DeeDee was preceded in death by her husband Mark Donald Cooley and her father Bob L. Montgomery.
The family will receive guests Friday, April 5, from 4-7 pm at Northside Chapel, 12050 Crabapple Road, Roswell, GA 30075, and the funeral will be at the same location on Saturday, April 6, at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in DeeDee's honor can be made to the Orange Duffel Bag Initiative, https://theodbi.org/ a nonprofit co-founded by her sister Echo.